When the acquisition is approved it will mean the addition of a direct Southwest flight from Armstrong International to Atlanta. AirTran currently flies into the Atlanta airport but Southwest does not. Beyond that airport spokeswoman Michelle Wilcut said it is unclear if the acquisition will result in any service changes at Armstrong International.

AirTran operates five flights each day to two cities, Atlanta and Baltimore, from the Kenner airport. Those numbers will increase to six flights to three cities next month when the airline adds Milwaukee to its service.

Southwest operates 31 flights each day to 13 cities and is the largest air carrier at Armstrong International. About 30.9 percent of passengers traveling out of the airport fly Southwest. Delta Air Lines is a distant second with 19.2 percent and Continental is third with 13.6 percent, a number that will increase when the airline merges with United. About 4 percent of the airport's passengers fly AirTran.